Modernization of the States and the International Relations in a Historical Perspective

Abstract of the presentation held in Kőszeg, Hungary, on 5 March, 2019

Modernization (democratization) is a complex historical phenomenon: It means industrialization, the emergence of a liberal capitalist world system, the necessary reforms of state and international organization, and the formation of an ideology of democratization and human rights. The presentation investigates Europe’s future in a global context by comparing the democratization of the states and international relations in Europe with the similar processes in East Asia (China and Japan) in a historical perspective, trying to answer the following questions: How could East Asian states, part of a Confucian tradition, be involved in the democratization of states and the international relations challenged by Europe? What were alternatives and necessary paths that moved the European, the Chinese, or the Japanese cultures, and in which direction did they progress? How could China and Japan become modern without becoming Western? Could the European integration and East Asian economic modernization contribute to the elaboration of alternative economic and legal international organization models for a peaceful international system through cooperation and mutual influences?

Éva Bóka, PhD, Dr. Habil, is researcher and lecturer in history, author of several books and articles, former honorary professor at the Corvinus University of Budapest.